My Story
After pursuing academic studies in New Jersey, Michigan, Massachusetts (B.A. in English), California, Illinois (M.Ed.), and Nigeria (West Africa), forty-three years ago my husband and I settled in Oregon (my husband's birthplace), bought a house in Beaverton, raised our two children, worked, and volunteered in the community.
I tutored students of all ages for many years, including teaching both children and adults how to read, eventually becoming a certified trainer to teach others how to teach reading. Following an unfortunate divorce, I turned my family home into an adult foster home, where I served as primary caregiver to my residents.
Seven years later, my precious widowed mother became my only resident until her death in 2007. After eleven years doing in-home care and community service, I retired in 2011, filling "retirement" days volunteering with these groups at various times:
- Emmanuel Christian Academy (founder/teacher)
- A warming shelter (half-night-shift volunteer)
- Bethel Baptist Church (community outreach director)
- Community of Hope
- St. Johns Food Share (volunteer coordinator and interim board member)
- Spell to Write and Read (tutor/trainer/consultant)
- Community Peace Collaborative
- Interfaith Peace and Action Collaborative
- GOP Washington County (Precinct Committee Person)
- Oregon Right to Life
- 40 Days for Life
- Beaverton CERT (Community Emergency Response Team reserve member)
- Crisis Response Team (with the Portland Police Bureau)
- Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church, Portland (Sunday School co-teacher for the Youth and Young Adult class)
- Braver Angels
- Helping Hands Bybee Lakes Hope Center (Referral Partner)
- Education Freedom for Oregon
- Safe Families for Children
- Southwest Hills Baptist Church, Beaverton
I am incredibly grateful for the full and wonderful life I have been privileged to live—here in Oregon! We live in a beautiful state, which includes a diversity of people whom I am privileged to know and love. It is important to me, as I know it is to you, that we work with all Oregonians for our health and prosperity by making the right decisions in our state legislature. That's why I want to serve as your representative.
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